According to the Council the amendment establishes limited access and individual quotas for the general category fleet of scallop vessels. It also contains other important steps to control fishing mortality and capacity in the general category fleet of scallop vessels, as well as other important measures to control fishing mortality and capacity in the general category scallop fishery.
The Council has informed that the Amendment 11 has many important measures such as limited entry programme for general category vessels, with three new categories of limited access general category (LAGC) scallop permits. There are provisions for permit issuance, vessel replacements, and confirmation of permit history (CPH) for LAGC scallop permits. It also contains the allocation of scallop catch to vessels with an individual fishing quota (IFQ) permit that also have a full-time, part-time, or occasional scallop permit.
The Amendment 11 has a target total allowable catch for vessels with an Incidental catch permit, a Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Scallop Management Area with a separate total allowable catch and area-specific management measures, a requirement for all IFQ and NGOM vessels to report activities through vessel monitoring system (VMS) on all trips. There is a mechanism to build fishing industry cooperatives and sectors in the general category fleet, a change of the issuance date for general category permits from May 1 to March 1 so that it would include the entire scallop fishery into one fishing year. Then there is a regulatory amendment that clarifies that an individual cannot own more than 5 percent of the limited access (full-time, part-time, and occasional) permit eligibilities in the form of a limited access vessel or confirmation of permit history.
